


Mountain Monologue Days (House of Hitsugaya #2)

by Gigai



Series: House of Hitsugaya [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gigai/pseuds/Gigai
Summary: The House of Hitsugaya series is a collection of chronological short stories from the first person POV of Toushiro Hitsugaya, beginning with his promotion to captain about 19 years before the manga starts.In this story, Toushiro is formally inducted as the Captain of the Tenth Squad during a formal Captain's meeting, and Captain Yamamoto officially closes the investigation into the former captain's disappearance.
Series: House of Hitsugaya [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125452
Kudos: 4





	Mountain Monologue Days (House of Hitsugaya #2)

I’d never been to Squad One’s barracks before, except to deliver a few documents now and then.

“The doors really don’t need to be that big, do they?” I said dryly, eyeing the hall where the Head Captain held his meetings. The doors were _immense_ – at least ten times my height, which seemed ridiculous.

My stupid comment earned me an elbow from my Vice Captain and a sudden chuckle that made both of us turn to find the source of it.

The entryway was surprisingly deserted, considering the meeting was supposed to start in a few minutes, but a captain in a gaudy women’s kimono had showed up when I wasn’t looking with his Vice-Captain in tow. He was tall with curly brown hair tied back messily, what appeared to be a permanent stubble shadowing bits of his face and chin, and a cheap looking straw hat perched atop his head. He’d already removed his sandals and apparently didn’t bother with the white tabi socks that were usually part of the uniform. His shihakusho uniform was pulled loosely open in the front, displaying an impressive swath of chest hair.

In contrast, his Vice-Captain was neat, presentable, and as plain looking as her captain was flashy. She wore an exasperated expression I recognized instantly – it was the one I wore whenever I had chased down Captain Shiba or Matsumoto in a futile attempt to get them to do work.

I hadn’t spoken to either before, but I knew who the dandy was, at least. He’d sat on the review board for my captain’s exam along with Captain Yamamoto and Captain Unohana.

“It’s a little ostentatious, but the old man likes it that way,” the dandy said, still looking amused. “Nice to see you again, Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-Captain Matsumoto.”

“Nice to see you, Captain!” Matsumoto bubbled. “I tried that plum sake yesterday you recommended, and it was really great!”

Kyoraku chuckled. “Refreshing, isn’t it? Sort of like the company of a beautiful woman…”

I debated for a moment how I was supposed to address him now, then decided I might as well act like we were equals now, since we were both captains. “Kyoraku.”

His Vice Captain started to say something, but he held up a hand and she immediately went quiet. “Now, Nanao, don’t worry about it. I’d rather not stand on formalities either. It’s too stuffy for my taste.” He tipped his hat slightly and grinned. “Nervous?”

I didn’t see much point in lying, but I didn’t feel like admitting it, either. “Were you?”

He chuckled. “Everyone is. Just remember, everybody in there’s been standing where you are right now. Don’t let them intimidate you.”

“Thanks.”

“This is my Vice Captain, Nanao Ise. She’s my adorable assistant–”

The Vice-Captain in question abruptly elbowed him. “Don’t say unnecessary things, Captain.”

“–and she’s even more capable than I am,” Kyoraku continued, unfazed by the sudden abuse to his midsection. “She’s just gotten promoted too.”

“Congratulations,” I said, not entirely sure what to make of the dynamic. Did every squad function like Captain Shiba’s had, or did I just have a knack for running into strange people?

“No, it’s not that important,” Ise said, clearly flustered at being the topic of discussion. “I mean, congratulations to you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

“Thanks.”

Whatever Kyoraku was going to say next was abruptly cut off by a sharp _thwack_ of a mallet hitting a wooden gong. The noise was sharp enough to gain attention and cut through conversations, and the squads used them as alerts for assembly and other urgent messages.

“Sounds like I’d better get inside,” Kyoraku said, nodding to me. “Sasakibe will come get you when they’re ready – the old man’s Vice Captain. You’ve met him, right?”

“I have, yes.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Seems like someone’s wanting to congratulate you anyway,” the gaudily dressed captain said, tipping his hat to the slight figure of a girl with her hair in braids before opening the doors and vanishing inside.

The doors shut again with a sharp _bang_ , and she jumped a bit at the noise.

“Hinamori?”

“Surprised to see me?” she asked, beaming. “I got permission to leave my post for a bit to come see you. Captain Aizen’s really nice like that.”

I tweaked her ear. I still had to reach up a bit to do it. “Ugh, enough about your squad captain. Does he know you used to wet the bed yet?”

She huffed indignantly and glared at me. “You’re just jealous of him, Shiro.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m a captain now,” I fired back. “You said if I went to the same school as you you’d stop using that nickname, and we both finished Shino Academy twenty years ago.”

“I _meant_ I’d start calling you an adult name when you acted more like an adult,” Hinamori retorted. “And it was twenty-four years ago, sheesh.”

“Which means we’re both even older than I remembered. So stop using a nickname already, those are for little kids.”

“But being all formal and calling you Hitsugaya is weird, Shiro!” She reached out to ruffle my hair, and I swatted her hand away.

“Don’t mess with my hair right before I have to go in, moron.”

Her face looked hurt for a moment, and I instantly felt guilty. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel happy that she’d come, not at all.

Granny says I need to learn tact.

I think I’m probably just bad at dealing with people.

“I’m glad you came,” I muttered, and her face instantly brightened back up.

“I know, Shiro. That’s why I came! And when I pass my Vice-Captain’s exam, you’re gonna come, right?” She tugged at my sleeves eagerly, like an excited puppy and I smiled a bit, in spite of myself.

“Yeah, I’ll come. So stop worrying about it. You’ll definitely pass.”

She grinned. “I can’t believe how grown-up you look in that haori! You have to show Grandma, okay?”

“It’s not that big a deal,” I said, but she stuck out her tongue.

“Stop trying to be cool, Shiro. It’s amazing that you got to be captain! I thought I’d beat you this once, but my little brother is super talented!” she said happily, and I sighed.

_I’m not sure she’s ever gonna stop calling me that._

It was embarrassing to be praised in front of people, not to mention rude, but it did make me a bit happy.

If I told her that, though, she’d just keep doing it.

Matsumoto swatted my shoulder lightly. “Hey, you should thank your sister for taking the time to come see you.”

“I don’t need an aunt, thanks.” I retorted, and there was a sudden vise-like grip on my shoulder.

“I think you meant _big sister_.”

“No, I definitely meant _aunt_ ,” I muttered under my breath, and Matsumoto started to suck in a breath, undoubtedly ready to let me have it for poking at her age.

“Excuse me.”

We all abruptly straightened up a bit, and Matsumoto whipped her hand away from my shoulder as Sasakibe interrupted us. He was a tall man, thin with elegant silver hair and a mustache. He wore a white jacket over his shihakusho that wasn’t a captain’s coat, but it wasn’t a style I recognized.

“Please enter when my captain calls for you.”

I turned, hoping our squabbling hadn’t made it through the large doors that were now cracked ajar.

“Will the new captain please enter?”

Captain Yamamoto’s voice might have been old and weathered, but it had no problem cutting through the momentary silence like a thunderclap.

I swallowed, pushed the door open – light, considering its size – and stepped into the meeting room, leaving Momo behind.

It was an _enormous_ room. The ceiling was easily 2-3 times as high as it needed to be, though I’d guess that much from the doors. A scroll hung on the wall across from me in a large alcove, and there was a large wooden chair set in front of it, though the Head Captain was standing at the moment, leaning on his wooden staff. Two rows of captains stood to either side of him, gazes fixed on the wall across from them. Their Vice-Captains were just behind them in equally neat rows, and I could hear Matsumoto quietly slip away to stand in her position. She wasn’t new to her job, so there was no reason for her to be introduced again.

I simply waited. I’d never been in here before – third seats rarely needed to make reports to captains they didn’t serve under – but I’d been told what to expect by Sasakibe in advance.

The entire hall was still for a moment as the doors shut again, and then the Head Captain spoke, voice rumbling out.

“Let us begin the induction ceremony. As you are already aware, the former Captain of the Tenth Squad, Isshin Shiba, left for the World of the Living last year without formally requesting permission or leaving instructions. At the time, we were investigating the deaths of several members of Squad Ten who had been patrolling the city of Narukishi. In the sixth month, the shinigami in charge of the area was found dead. In the seventh month, two additional men from Squad Ten were killed while on duty.”

I’d been the one to discover those reports. I know the Captain would have seen them eventually and investigated anyway, but I still felt guilty, as though the efficiency with which I’d done my job had been the thing that had led Captain Shiba to his death.

“In the eighth month, Captain Shiba personally investigated the matter and reported to us that an unusual hollow had been preying on the humans and shinigami in the area, and that he had killed the creature. I was satisfied with his report and considered the matter closed. However, Captain Shiba later returned to the World of the Living and did not return, as reported by Vice-Captain Matsumoto.” The Head Captain opened one eye to squint at me. “When he did not return, Captains Kyoraku, Aizen, and Kurotsuchi were dispatched to investigate the matter. No trace of Isshin Shiba’s reiatsu could be found, and Captain Kurotsuchi concluded that Captain Shiba’s reiryoku, his spirit energy had been destroyed. The other two captains concurred.”

I had been at home for a brief afternoon off when a messenger had come. I’d returned to find Matsumoto reassuring the squad, but I’d caught her crying in the Captain’s room later that evening.

We were all upset, that day. Worse, we didn’t even know why he’d gone.

As if he’d heard my thoughts, Captain Yamamoto continued speaking. “In the absence of any evidence that would lead us to the reason for his death, we were forced to conclude the investigation without any satisfactory answers. The death of a captain is an incredibly grave offense, and if any further evidence should later come to light, I will expect it reported _immediately_.”

The wizened captain glowered at no one in particular, coughed slightly, and resumed his lecture. “That being said, the responsibility also falls upon the late Captain Shiba for failing to report his activities. Whether this was simply one of Captain Shiba’s … frivolous ventures or something more serious is not something that can be known. The immediate danger in Narukishi appears to have been contained, but due to Captain Shiba’s rash actions we cannot determine whether any further danger may be posed to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”

I tried to avoid fidgeting by studying the captains in front of me. Closest to me on the left was Kurotsuchi. He was an odd man … if you could actually call him a man. Unnaturally pale, with odd, jarring black makeup and a headpiece that would have stabbed the captain on his right, had there been one standing there. He was brilliant, there was no denying that, but he was most definitely insane, too. I wasn’t terribly excited to end up standing next to him, assuming the Head Captain ever got on with it and stopped recounting information we’d all heard before.

After Kurotsuchi, there was a gap for me, then Kyoraku, who was looking amused at the old man’s lecturing. I’d heard that he’d been a student of the Head Captain’s, so he’d probably heard quite a few lectures before from Yamamoto.

Kuchiki was next, standing coolly silent, eyes closed as he listened. He was one of the newer captains, who’d been appointed around the same time Momo had entered Shino Academy. He’d taken the position from his grandfather, who had retired – quite a feat for a captain to live long enough to retire peacefully. His father had been less fortunate, serving as the Lieutenant of Squad Six for a few decades before being killed in the line of duty. Too nice, some people had said, and too gentle to truly wield a sword, but the Kuchiki were powerful - one of the Five Great Noble Households – and people with power like that were sorely needed in the Court Guard Squads.

The two women at the end I didn’t know much about, honestly. The one with the long braid was Retsu Unohana, who I’d met briefly at my captain’s exam. She’d asked several questions in a quiet, serene voice that seemed completely at odds with her history as the former captain of Squad 11, and asserted that “simply underestimating someone because they’re still a child is a mistake I won’t make a second time”.

I had no idea what she meant by that, but her eyes had gone cold for a moment, with a brief flash of battle-lust that was gone so quickly I wondered if I’d imagined it. She was a capable healer and a seemingly gentle person, but I wondered how much of her familiarity with shinigami anatomy came from slicing up bodies.

Lots of bodies.

The last woman looked far more likely to murder people for her own amusement than Unohana did. I knew even less about Sui-Feng, but she headed Squad 2 as well as the Punishment Force, and I had no interest in getting on her bad side. I had distinct memories of the punishment force … right after they’d pulled me away from Kusaka, screaming as they killed him.

I killed him.

“In any case,” the Head Captain’s voice rumbled through my wool-gathering and I flinched slightly.

The captain with white hair like mine moved slightly in my peripheral vision; Ukitake was looking at me, though he wasn’t being obvious about it.

_Great. Maybe he caught me not paying attention._

“…this resulted in the search for a new captain. After consulting with Captain Aizen, who has been assisting the Tenth Squad for the past year, it became clear that the current Third Seat of the Tenth Squad was well-qualified to handle the responsibility, despite being of such a young age.”

There it was again. Praise, tempered with my age and inexperience.

I knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any nicer to hear.

“Bankai is an incredibly rare ability, and as such, after hearing Captain Aizen’s recommendation, I examined this Third Seat, witnessed by three captains. We unanimously decided that his character and capabilities were suited to handling the grave responsibilities of being a captain, without question.”

Kyoraku shifted a bit, drawing my eye, and the Head Captain cleared his throat.

“Therefore, I hereby appoint Toushiro Hitsugaya as the new captain of the Tenth Squad,” Yamamoto finally said.

“Present,” I said, bowing to the Head Captain.

To my relief, my voice didn’t crack or waver on the words.

No one else moved to acknowledge me or return the greeting, but I’d been told to expect that – the Head Captain liked formality, and this was a formal occasion.

I walked to my place, footfalls echoing in the overly large, empty hall, and stood, waiting.

The captains across from me weren’t any more familiar than the row I was standing in. I knew who they were, but I’d never needed to interact with them before now.

The Captain of the Thirteenth Squad was Ukitake, the white haired man I’d noticed looking at me earlier, and I realized belatedly I’d been so nervous I’d completely forgotten his Vice-Captain was with him.

 _…if all that was hard for_ me _to hear, I can’t imagine how Vice-Captain Shiba feels right now._

When I risked a glance over at him, I discovered that like his captain, he was studying me, though a bit more openly. He grinned cheerfully for a brief instant before his face returned to parade-like stillness, his eyes fixed perfectly ahead and ignoring me.

That smile in the midst of all this stuffy formality was so like Captain Shiba’s disregard for ceremony I almost lost my composure for a moment.

I missed him.

Oh, he’d been lazy and annoying and loud and he’d constantly harassed Matsumoto till she’d beaten him half to death some days, and sometimes I’d felt like the only adult in the office, but … I missed him.

I wondered how the Vice-Captain felt about it. Kaien Shiba was the oldest son of the main Shiba family, so it wasn’t like he and Isshin had been brothers, but it still had to be difficult, having no idea how a cousin had died. He’d stopped by the Squad to visit Captain Shiba fairly regularly, so it seemed as though they’d been close.

“Now, to other matters of business. We had temporarily suspended normal patrols in Narukishi, due to the unexplained death of a captain. With the conclusion of the investigation, and the appointment of a new squad captain, things have changed. Do you intend to resume patrols in the Narukishi zone, Captain Hitsugaya?”

The Head Captain’s question surprised me. “Of course, Sir.”

“If you require any assistance,” the muffled, low voice of Squad Seven’s captain spoke up, words ringing against the large helmet he wore, “our squad is responsible for the spirit zones to the South of Narukishi. If the situation becomes serious again, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

I didn’t know much about Komamura. No one seemed to, and I don’t think anyone had ever seen the giant of a man without the enormous helmet and bracers he wore everywhere. For all I knew, he slept in them.

But he’d evidently proven himself capable enough to serve as a Captain, and that was all I really cared about.

The captain next to him was equally an enigma. Tousen was apparently blind, but possessed such incredible ability to sense spiritual pressure than it didn’t discernably seem to affect his ability to fight. I’d heard little else about the man.

The behemoth next to him I had heard of – Kiganjo was a bearded man with lip piercings and an intimidating glower. He had no neck, arms the size of me, and prior to killing the last captain of Squad 11, he’d been a thug from the Rukongai named Gosuke.

He went by Kenpachi now.

“If the kid is stupid enough to get himself and his men killed, what makes you think Squad Seven can handle it?” Kiganjo sneered. “We’ll just end up dealing with it ourselves, like every other time you’ve needed Squad Eleven to mop your asses.”

“Now, wait just a minute–” Ukitake said, protesting, and the Head Captain’s staff banged against the floor, demanding order.

“I’ll thank you not to underestimate me, just because I’m young,” I said, folding my arms into my sleeves and staring up at him.

It wasn’t the first time in my life I’d been bullied, and I would be damned if I’d let this guy do it.

“If you want to test your mettle, _boy_ , I’m happy to oblige,” he said, stepping forward.

“What purpose would that serve?” I asked coolly. “If I defeated you, I could hardly run two squads, and if you defeated a mere _boy_ in combat, who would you boast to about it?”

“Enough!” The Head Captain said sharply, and Kiganjo stepped back in line, scowling. “I will hear from the Captain of Squad Three next, concerning the replenishment of supplies in the flooded areas of Hofunakoi, the 23rd Southern District.”

“Yes, Sir.”

This captain was tall, thin almost to the point of gauntness, and had short silver-grey hair. His face was foxlike, though the oddly unsettling smile reminded me more of a snake. “I don’t have much to report – we’ve brought supplies, and the flooding has mostly subsided. The fishing in the area won’t be as good for a while, but no one will starve, and they’re already starting to rebuild the docks. That concludes my report.”

Most of Rukongai was woody, hilly terrain like the place I’d grown up, but there were several major rivers, and several of the Southern districts were along a coastline. I’d never been as far as the ocean, but it was the right season for typhoons, and the afterlife was seldom kinder to the souls that arrived there than the World of the Living might have been.

“In that case, unless anyone has any further business to discuss, I will declare this captains meeting adjourned,” Yamamoto said gruffly, and after a moment he rapped his staff on the floor three times, then turned and left the room without another word.

I wasn’t exactly sure whether to leave or wait – Sasakibe hadn’t offered any insight on what to do _after_ things had ended. Kiganjo left without another glance in my direction, his Vice-Captain breaking into a jog to keep pace. Sui-Feng gave me a brief nod as she moved past, her Vice-Captain dwarfing her tiny frame. She was the only other Captain even close to my height, and she was still a bit taller than I was.

“Congratulations, Captain Hitsugaya,” Kuchiki said, stopping for a moment. He didn’t smile, but he seemed genuine.

“Thank you.”

He moved on, and Hinamori’s captain came up to me. I’d been working with Captain Aizen a fair amount in the last year, while we’d lacked a captain, and the only thing more irritating than Momo’s constant hero-worship of the man was that as far as I could tell, she was right. He was kind, considerate of his men, and had offered some useful advice concerning the details of running a squad.

“You handled Kiganjo well,” he said, smiling slightly. “Congratulations.”

I didn’t say it, but frankly, I was all too used to people picking on me for my size. Sure, it was usually my weird appearance or my age first, but small guys always got picked on. You either learned how to fight early on, or you were at the mercy of whatever idiot decided to give you grief that particular day.

“Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it,” I replied. “I’m sure it’ll be a relief to only manage one squad again.”

He waved dismissively. “Not at all. You took on so much of the work there wasn’t much for me to do. If you have any questions in the future, no matter what they might be, just ask. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

I nodded, and he clapped me on the shoulder and left.

There was an irritated huff, and I glanced over to see Squad Twelve’s captain striding towards the door.

“Don’t mind him,” Kyoraku said cheerfully. “He’s temperamental.”

“He had the same look when I told him I wasn’t interested in being experimented on," Ukitake said, joining him. “I wouldn’t take it too personally. Captain Hitsugaya, you’ve met my Vice-Captain before, he tells me?”

I nodded. I hadn’t spent an extensive amount of time talking to him, but he’d popped into Squad Ten’s offices now and then to talk to Captain Shiba. “Nice to see you again.”

“Congratulations on your promotion, Captain. I’m told it was well deserved,” Kaien Shiba said solemnly, then grinned. “Just make sure you make Isshin proud of the job you’re doing, or I’ll have to kick your ass.”

It was a cheerful, completely genuine threat, but I didn’t get any sense from him that he was being condescending.

I’d always liked that about the Shiba family members that I’d met.

“I’ll hold you to that, if you don’t mind,” I said quietly, and he nodded, looking satisfied.

“Isshin always surrounded himself with good people,” Ukitake said gently. “And he trained them well, too. You and Vice-Captain Matsumoto are proof of that.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Matsumoto said. “I’m sure the same is true of you and your Vice-Captain.”

“To be honest, Kaien’s getting to the point I might just let him run the whole squad,” Ukitake said, smiling ruefully. “I’m not in the best of health these days.”

“What’re you saying, Captain? I already let you rope me into being your Vice-Captain after I turned you down.” Shiba’s face was dead serious. “There’s no way I’m taking on another promotion so soon, so you’ll just have to keep living, Sir.”

“Your subordinate might be unreasonable, but I agree with the sentiment, Jushiro,” Kyoraku said, clearly teasing. “Now, since this is an auspicious day, who wants to have a drink with me?”

“Captain!” Ise’s voice was sharp. “Don’t even think about it. There’s the—”

Kyoraku tipped his hat to me, abruptly flash-stepped, and was gone, Ise vanishing in hot pursuit a mere second later.

Ukitake chuckled. “We should get back to work as well, but if you have any questions, stop by and see me, okay? We’re both ‘shiro’, after all.”

I wasn’t sure whether he meant our names, the fact we both had white hair at far too young an age, or both, but I nodded.

The other captains had either passed by with a quick nod to me or ignored me completely as they left, so I followed Ukitake out of the large hall with the last stragglers.

“Let’s head back, Matsumoto.”

“Oooh, let’s stop and get lunch first!”

“We need to get started on the—” my stomach growled abruptly. “…fine. Just this once.”

“After that, would you mind if we took the day off? To commemorate your auspicious promotion?”

“Now you’re just trying to annoy me,” I said dryly. “And no.”

There wasn’t much that had changed, honestly. It was still the same work I’d been doing, though with less assistance. It was still the same people I was working with.

And I was still being treated like a kid by some people.

I sighed. There was a lot I wanted to get done, but Matsumoto was right, for once. It could wait until after lunch.

I was pretty sure the paperwork wasn’t going anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo.  
> If you liked this story and want more (and faster), buy me a soul candy here: https://ko-fi.com/gigai
> 
> Reference Notes:
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 1, Chapter 1; The series started on August 7th, 2001 in real life (mid-May in the manga), so all other dates use that as a reference point in figuring out who was serving as captains/vice-captains at the time this takes place.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 21, Chapter 179; Byakuya states that he lost his wife fifty years ago, and found Rukia a year later when she had been attending Shino Academy.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 32, Chapter -17; Since Rukia and Renji entered the Academy at the same time, and Renji, Momo, and Izuru were all in the same advanced class, it's safe to assume all four started Shino Academy at the same time.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 11, Chapter 98; Kubo's intention is unclear here to me - Renji interrupts the Kuchiki family's meeting with Rukia to tell her he's passed, "ゼミあ見やがれ俺二次受かったぜ!" which is basically saying "Look at me, I passed my secondary exam!". Secondary generally refers to 7th through 12th grade in Japan, with 7th-9th being lower secondary, and 10th-12th being upper secondary. It's possible Renji is saying he's passed the exam for moving to (upper) secondary, which would mean they've been there for 3 years, but I've chosen to interpret this to mean he's passed the exam to get into the "secondary" year of Shino Academy (there are six). This means Renji (and Rukia, Momo, and Izuru) started attending Shino Academy fifty years prior to the start of the series. It's also possible Kubo was just inconsistent with dates, this happens a lot with a series this big.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 32, Chapter -16; Toushiro states that Momo had been attending Shino Academy for five years already, then ends up deciding to join himself. I can't find the reference at the moment, but it's stated elsewhere he managed to complete the curriculum of the six year Academy in just one year (like Gin), putting his graduation at the same time as Momo.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 9, page 191 - Renji's character profile mentions he graduated in the 2066th class of Shino Academy, putting Momo, Toushiro, and Izuru's graduations at the same time, 44 years prior to the series start. It also states he was promoted to Vice-Captain about a month before the series begins (and Momo and Izuru were shown wearing squad badges when they notified him of his promotion, so they'd already been promoted by then.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 17, Chapter 145; Rukia states that Byakuya and Gin became captains at the same time, shortly before she was adopted into the Kuchiki family 49 years before the series starts. So for the purposes of this series, I'm assuming Byakuya and Gin became captains about 50 years ago.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 17, Chapter 146; Komamura's shoulder armor is visible, along with Tousen, when Zaraki is confirmed as Captain of Squad 11, so they'd already been captains at that point.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 36, Chapter -107; 110 years prior to the series start, Kyoraku states that he, Ukitake, and Yamamoto are the only captains who've served for over 100 years. Ukitake adds Unohana to this, and is also seen trying to convince Kaien to be his Vice-Captain in another chapter of the Turn Back the Pendulum arc.
> 
> Bleach Tankobon 16, Chapter 134; Kaien is the Vice-Captain of 13th Squad when Rukia joins approximately 49 years before the series starts.
> 
> Bleach Databook Masked, pg. 259-260; Kubo discusses Byakuya's father's personality and gives a full name and background for the previous Squad 11 captain. Due to physical appearances of Zaraki, Ikkaku, and Yumichika not changing much between their first meeting and Zaraki becoming captain, I chose to interpret this as Zaraki being the "newest captain" when the series starts. I also thought Toushiro reacting to Zaraki's appointment would be interesting to write about.
> 
> Toushiro's age - When the series starts, I'm interpreting him as 13, just barely a teenager, and old enough to no longer be in elementary school (which he insists he isn't repeatedly in the anime to Karin). His height/weight ratio as listed in the databooks is more typical of a 9 year old Japanese boy, so he's small and short for his age, but I can't realistically picture him becoming captain any younger than 11 - even for a soul that's been around 110 years at this point, that's REALLY young, and I'm struggling to balance writing him as mature for his age without being completely unchildlike.
> 
> Based on empty positions, the above data, and the general timeline, I can definitely say the captains of squads 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13 are correct at the time this happens. I can't say that for 2, 7, or 11, but it seems reasonable Komamura and Sui-Feng would have made captain already due to vacancies.


End file.
